Hardship and Poverty

Where it surfaces

• While the Billy Boils

  Pervasive throughout the collection, depicting the struggles of selectors, shearers, and unemployed workers.

• An Old Mate of Your Father's

  The selection farm is depicted as dusty and struggling, with skeletal livestock and a half-dead orchard, contrasting with the golden memories of the diggings.

• Settling on the Land

  Tom Hopkins endures relentless agricultural failures, financial ruin, and personal loss, illustrating the extreme difficulties of selector life.

• Stiffner and Jim

  The narrator and Bill are destitute swagmen, desperate for a drink and a meal, forced to resort to trickery to avoid being beaten or losing their belongings.

• When the Sun Went Down

  The dangerous working conditions in the mine and the brothers' struggle to make a living highlight the harsh realities of diggers' lives.

• Hungerford

  The town's barren landscape, scarce water, high prices for basic goods, and the storekeeper's charity to a deadbeat swagman highlight the pervasive poverty and struggle for survival.

• A Day on a Selection

  The selection is depicted as rundown and inefficient, with broken fences, a dilapidated dairy, and constant struggles to maintain basic farming operations.

• That There Dog o’ Mine

  Macquarie's life of struggle, injury, and reliance on his dog highlights the harsh realities of itinerant workers.

• Going Blind

  Jack's blindness and poverty force him to live in a cramped, greasy boarding house, and the narrator himself is destitute, unable to help.

• Arvie Aspinall's Alarm Clock

  The story vividly depicts the grinding poverty of the Aspinall family, with Arvie working at a young age, his mother scrubbing floors, and the family unable to afford even a clock.

• Stragglers

  The chapter vividly portrays the extreme poverty of the stragglers, who survive on minimal food, wear rags, and must constantly walk to avoid death. The Exception's hopeless state and the Wreck's illness underscore the theme.

• On the Edge of a Plain

  Mitchell's family mourns him, yet economic necessity forces him to leave again despite his promise.

• In a Dry Season

  The chapter vividly depicts the destitution of the unemployed, the barren landscape, and the grim conditions of bush life, including a sundowner killing a snake for food.

• He’d Come Back

  The narrator's struggle with poverty, hard times, and the need to leave his wife to find work.

• Mitchell Doesn’t Believe in the Sack

  Mitchell's determination to avoid the sack stems from his experience of poverty and the cycle of hard work followed by dismissal and tramping.

• Shooting the Moon

  The need to sneak out of a pub due to lack of funds reflects the economic struggles of swagmen.

• His Father's Mate

  The chapter vividly depicts the physical and emotional toll of poverty and hard labor, from the wet, cold mine shaft to the loss of family members and the constant threat of disgrace.

• The Shearing of the Cook’s Dog

  The cook's complaint about his long hours, low wages, and hard work highlights the difficult conditions faced by workers in the outback.

• “Dossing Out” and “Camping”

  The chapter vividly depicts the physical and psychological suffering of the urban unemployed, from hunger and cold to the degradation of being treated like rubbish.

• Across the Straits

  The narrator's loss of a half-sovereign and the uncomfortable, squalid conditions aboard the steamer emphasize financial struggle and physical discomfort.

• The Drover’s Wife

  The bushwoman's daily struggles—fighting fires, floods, and a mad bullock—highlight the relentless poverty and physical demands of her life.

• Steelman's Pupil

  The constant struggle for food, shelter, and money drives the characters' actions, highlighting the harsh realities of life on the road.

• An Unfinished Love Story

  The selection existence is described as 'hungry, wretched,' and the cattle are gaunt and tired, reflecting the poverty of rural life.

• Board and Residence

  The chapter vividly portrays the physical and emotional toll of unemployment, poor food, and the struggle to maintain dignity in a degrading environment.

• Some Day

  Mitchell's monologue details the grinding poverty and hopelessness of a swagman's life—tramping for tucker, losing ambition, and becoming like an animal.

• A Visit of Condolence

  The chapter starkly depicts the grinding poverty of working-class families, with both mothers scrubbing offices and washing to survive.

• In a Wet Season

  The chapter is saturated with images of poverty and suffering: swagmen in ragged camps, a man struggling through mud with a dingo, and the narrator's own humiliating quest for a train pass.

• Rats

  Rats is dressed in patched calico, begs for meat, and lives in delusion, reflecting the extreme poverty and isolation of itinerant bush workers.

• Mitchell: A Character Sketch

  Mitchell and his mates are desperate for food, highlighting the struggle of itinerant workers during economic depression.

• Our Pipes

  The physical toll of a 25-mile tramp on a hot day and the simple comforts of tea, tobacco, and rest.

• Coming Across—A Study in the Steerage

  The chapter highlights the poverty of steerage passengers, including men ashamed of their underwear, grass widows traveling alone with babies, and the constant worry about finding work.

• Jones's Alley

  Mrs. Aspinall's relentless labor, debt, and fear of eviction exemplify the grinding poverty of Jones's Alley.

• Baldy Thompson

  Baldy's constant complaints about financial struggles, bank failures, and the difficulty of making a living reflect the pervasive hardship of rural life, even for a squatter.

• For Auld Lang Syne

  The push suffers from a 'dearth of regular graft' and low wages; they pool their meager shillings for farewells, and one mate leaves to escape debt and a drunken wife.